Be mindful to conquer stress

Normal business life and normal human behaviour requires us to suppress stress and keep it out of the way. But by merely suppressing we are not dealing with the situation. The issue is therefore not "What are the techniques for resolving conflicts?" The key to resolution is "How can I free up my mind?"

The problems will not go away by themselves. It is within our minds that we have to seek a way out. The method we look at for managing this complexity is as a form of mindfulness.

Mindfulness means noticing your thoughts, emotions and motives as they happen. The key word here is "noticing". Once you notice what is really going on in your thoughts, you can start the process of freeing up your mind.

Mindfulness is similar to having self-awareness - up to a point. Yet the concept of self-awareness is associated with more reflective processes in people. Mindfulness is about understanding what is going on in the "here and now" and having the skill to detach yourself from what is happening.

Imagine you are in a cinema. Now, ask yourself: "What is actually going on here? This is just a beam of light passing through a piece of celluloid with some colours in it, with some music that has been orchestrated deliberately to create the mood."

Rather than thinking the thoughts, become aware of having the thoughts. Rather than feeling the feelings, become aware you have those feelings. This will detach you from the situation and you can pull back. The thoughts and emotions will lose their control.  And you will be back in the driver's seat - for better self-management and better leadership. Be mindful out there.

Ben Bryant is professor of leadership and organisation at IMD. This is the concluding part of his article 'Smarter Leadership', online at

www.-imd.ch. Part I appeared on Wednes-day. Text has been edited for size.

At a glance

-- Mindfulness means noticing your thoughts, emotions or motives as they happen.

-- Once you know what is going on, you need the skill to detach yourself from what is happening.